Based on neighborhood memory and with a humanistic touch arising from underneath the skin of environs, this series of artworks take viewers to walk through a historic district in Tainan. The viewers are invited to listen to the sounds of gongs and drums of Hubi and Guangji (Lord Wangye) Temples, and to follow the aroma of roses to a Catholic church. They are also free to learn about “muurankers” (wall anchors) of the Dutch times and porcelain weights used to stabilize ships in early periods. Black Cat Inn and Golden Rooster Garden of Shuixian Neighborhood in their golden days, air-raid shelters which testify the war, and Yinfeng Iced Desserts and Fruits famous for Moon Appreciation, i.e. milk ice with red bean paste, are all worth a virtual visit. It is especially interesting to imagine how shy blind dates and young couples were in the past.
Inspired by the people, activities and objects of the past in alleys and lanes, a team of professors and students from the Department of Fine Arts, Tunghai University are here to construct a small-town life by delineating, positioning and rebuilding of places and stories through their creations. This encompasses illustrations of memories and the future, combinations of tradition and modernity, and weavings of the real and the imagined.